Score Distribution

Unscored Reviews

Kalimba is relatively short if you're looking to just rattle through the story mode – I got through the it in a couple of hours – but the longevity comes from the repetition and the desire for that perfect run. I am now going back through the levels trying to get gold on all of them and make my totem pole glorious.

Kalimba - in a lot of ways - is a throwback of sorts. It can be completed in a few short sittings, has an unrelenting difficulty level and features wonderful 2D art. However, the game also manages to put players in gaming situations they have never been in before. It's a surprisingly fresh experience that can be incredibly rewarding and despite it being seemingly impossible at times, players who love a sizable - but fair - challenge will find a lot to love within Kalimba.

Kalimba is a solid puzzle platformer that is trickier than expected. The puzzles and platforming are done so well that the ability to control more than one character simultaneously doesn't feel like a gimmick. The game may have a relatively short campaign, but there are many modes and difficult goals to keep the player coming back for more. Puzzle platforming fans should flock to this sleeper title.

Kalimba is a must-play for anyone who grew up playing games like Super Mario World and Kirby. This spiritual game effectively captures the spirit of the difficult traversing of a platformer mixed with a brilliant swapping puzzle mechanic that works without fail.

If you're looking for a difficult yet incredibly fun platformer, look no further. While some of the game mechanics will leave you somewhat weary, overcoming the puzzles is very rewarding, especially when doing so with a friend. Kalimba offers a fresh new take on the traditional platformer, one that will cause both fits of rage and laughter.

While it may have flown under the radar for some (I imagine the last minute name change didn't do it any favours), you'd be doing yourself a disservice by dismissing Kalimba, even with its rather straightforward and barebones presentation. As great as it is as a single player outing, Kalimba really shines when you can bring a partner along for the ride.

Kalimba is an action-packed platformer that experiments with a lot of puzzles and design gimmicks to consistently provide a genuine challenge. It is devilishly difficult and there are times when the level design and touchy mechanics don't complement this very well, mainly instances that require dumb luck rather than intuitive skill.

Kalimba is an enjoyable solo romp, but to get the full experience you're going to need a local co-op partner; trust me, the juice is worth the squeeze if a couch friend is hard to come by. That inherently limits the game, but since both adventures are worth playing through fully, there's a lot of meat here for a seemingly small puzzle title. I hope it gets more traction despite the fact that it's limited to the Xbox One at the moment.

Difficulty is hard to review, and most of Kalimba's issues stem from poor balancing. Running into devious sections only to find the follow-ups to be almost rudimentary is jarring. Fortunately, the core mechanic is very enjoyable. While Kalimba could have spent more time under the microscope, the interesting mechanic and beautiful visuals should be enough to convince even the most dismissive PC gamer that there's much more to explore here, and, for that, Kalimba should be applauded.